As our Nerdify reviews team has been thinking about the best holiday movies to watch, we had a lengthy list of ideas because every person had something that they prefer or would like to see during the holidays. Therefore, we came up with an idea of different movies where both young and old could find something that they would like. The most important is to have fun and remain inspired right away. Starting with the teenage and mysterious to something that you could watch with the youngsters, our list will bring up a smile for the holidays and give you some ideas to explore!

Operation Christmas Drop (2020)
If you want to watch something that stands out of the ordinary, Nerdify recommends this entertaining movie. It all starts with the special mission of a dedicated congressional assistant (played by Kat Graham) who is sent to Guam with an investigation. She must explore the delivery of gifts and supplies to the locals by the U.S. Air Force. As she finally arrives in Guam, she is greeted by the captain who is a person behind the project (played by Alexander Ludwig). Eventually, it becomes an even more important mission. Without giving away too much, we can tell you that this movie will keep you inspired since it is not the most common Christmas story!

Dash & Lily (2020)
We know how bad it feels when you are watching a movie and it finally comes to an end. It brings up a sad feeling, especially when you are watching something on your own. Therefore, our friendly bunch at the Nerdify reviews decided to tell you about the great TV series that will keep you busy for hours. If you want to keep smiling and wait for the new episode, it is the right choice. It is based on the “Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. The plot is based on the adventures of two teens who follow the dares that are written in the notebook. It is an exchange of dare sets that must be done. Always fun and light-humored, it will keep your spirits high!

Holidate (2020)
It is not an overly complex movie plot that revolves around Sloane (Emma Roberts) and Jackson (Luke Bracey) who are brought together as the people who pretend to know each other despite being two complete strangers. The idea is acting up as the fake holiday dates to trick everyone into not being alone. They have decided to call it “holidates”. As they spend more time with each other, they start seeing things differently because they are not strangers anymore. While it may sound like a usual love story, this movie will help people feel that they are not alone any longer. It has great dialogues and some things that we all can learn from each other.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020)
This beautiful family holiday movie has a special place in the hearts of everyone at the Nerdify reviews team. You can bring along your younger siblings or watch it along with your friends because Christmas is all about love, kindness, friendship, and happiness. This Christmas musical deals with an inventor called Jeronicus Jangle who has his best invention stolen by an apprentice. The only person who can remedy the situation is Jangle’s granddaughter. Her helper is a robot who has been invented by her Grandfather. A truly interesting story about friendship and sincerity that will make your holiday feel just like childhood!

A Taste of Christmas (2020)
As we all know, Christmas is about helping each other and bringing a miracle. This amazing movie tells a story about true friendship and walking the extra mile to make things work. The setting takes place at the Italian restaurant that must have its big opening exactly on Christmas Eve. Things do not work as they have been planned, which is why Natalie (played by Annie Krueger) is trying to help her cousin. The Chef called Stefano (played by the charming Gilles Marini) does not believe that a restaurant can open on time. Will the Christmas magic happen? Watch this movie to find out!

Organize Online Watching Party

Remember that you can set up a virtual holiday movie night along with the family and friends by hosting it online. Even if you have not done anything like that before, it is worth trying to make your holiday complete. All it takes is sharing your link with the list of people you would like to invite. As the movie is running, you can share audio and show your screen, so you can create a family environment even if you spend the holiday season away from each other. Set the reminders and organize things in advance regarding the snacks. Most importantly, always have fun!

If you’re looking for the best hobby for you as a college student, you’ve come to the right place. Nerdify reviews team wants to help turn your free time into an exciting and useful activity!

Which will be your pick? Will you choose to explore the world or let your creativity blossom? This blog post reveals the pros and cons of the most popular hobbies for college students and will help you make the right choice.

1. Geocaching

If you aren’t familiar with geocaching, it’s basically an outdoor hide-and-seek game using GPS. It’ll make you go to the places you’ve never been before, feel that treasure hunt rush, and have fresh air.

Pros

• Costs nothing, except maybe bus or train fare
• Will make you go outside
• You’ll feel like a treasure hunter
• Cool activity to do with friends and family
• Explore nature
• You’ll see your usual environment from a new perspective

Cons

• Easy to get sucked in, if that can be considered a con

Geocaching is fun and exciting, costs nearly nothing, and promotes physical activity – what’s not to love?

2. Blogging

If you have ideas to write about, thoughts you’d like to save forever, or just practice writing, start your own blog. Plus, your blog can become a part of your professional portfolio.

Pros

• Free
• No limitations – you do you
• Will help you improve your writing skills tremendously
• You’ll learn a lot along the way
• Can potentially help you build a career
• You can make a difference in any field
• You can make money from it
• Connect with new people

Cons

• Requires regular updates
• You can get into writer’s block
• Trolling can get in your way

If you start a blog, your writing will live on, that’s for sure. If you’re willing to invest time and effort in it, you’ll surely get the benefits described above.

3. Crafting and Artistry

This is an awesome talent that you should absolutely embrace in your free time. It absolutely doesn’t matter what you can do – knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, cross-stitching, carving, drawing, painting, or DYI-ing things – all of it goes.

Pros

• Inexpensive
• You can let your imagination run wild
• You can create original, one-of-a-kind things
• You’ll always have awesome gifts to give to friends and family
• You can sell stuff and earn money from your awesome hobby (try Etsy)
• Whoever you tell about your hobby, will be in awe

Cons

• Requires patience
• Some materials can be up there in price

Make sure to take a moment to consider this great option!

4. Thrifting

There’s nothing more exciting than finding a cool item in a thrift store at a bargain price. Remember that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure!

Pros

• Value is usually way higher than the price
• You can find unique and valuable things
• Great way to find collectibles
• By thrifting, you are giving a second life to things, which is good for the environment

Cons

• Requires a lot of time
• Sometimes you’ll fail to find what you want, but don’t get discouraged.

Thrifting is a great idea however you look at it, so happy hunting!

5. Exercise

If you’re already exercising on the regular basis, hats off to you. If you don’t – consider making it your hobby because it’s right for pretty much anyone.  

Pros

• Increase energy
• Look younger and feel better
• Overcome the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle
• Maintain healthy weight
• Improve body strength and posture

Cons

• Depending on what you do, there’s risk of injury, so make sure you know what you’re doing
• If you choose to go to the gym, it can be expensive

You don’t need gym membership to go for a run every morning, so invest your time in yourself!

6. Playing an instrument

This is a hobby that always makes people go, “Wow!”  when you tell about it. If you already can play an instrument, use your free time to perfect your skill. If not, you can spend your time learning how to play an instrument.

Pros

• It’s awesome and cool
• Makes you stand out
• Trains your brain
• Can become a source of income one day

Cons

• Instruments are expensive, but you’ll rarely have to buy a new instrument

If you play for your own enjoyment or want to finally learn to play an instrument, it’s the perfect time to start!

7. Photography

Being good at taking pictures is a great skill you’ll be able to use your whole life and you don’t need an expensive camera to be an awesome photographer.

Pros

• Experience pleasure in photography
• People will ask you to take pictures
• Keeping precious moments forever
• Requires no investment (who said you can’t use your smartphone camera?)
• Can become a career

Cons

• If you decide to invest in a camera and gear, be prepared to spend a lot

Photography is a beautiful hobby and requires only one thing – your passion.

8. Cooking

Cooking is an essential skill to have in life. We live in the world of processed foods that aren’t that great for us, so why not learn how to cook yourself?

Pros

• You’ll eat tasty foods
• People will praise your cooking skills
• You’ll learn how to save money on food
• You won’t want to return to McDonald’s ever again after making your own chicken nuggets

Cons

• Ingredients might be expensive depending on the recipe

Cooking is a great hobby to treat yourself, literally.

9. Urban exploration

You probably think you know the area you live in pretty well, but often there’s a lot more to discover. Exploring your environment is an exciting hobby that will become a source of never-ending topics to discuss with friends!

Pros

• Learn to find your bearings on the ground
• Find fun and interesting places to spend time
• Find what to share with friends and family
• Find great places to study (cafés, libraries, etc)
• Take lots of great pictures if you want to

Cons

• Might require some research
• Time-consuming

Become a tourist in your own city for one day – it might just be the coolest hobby you can find as a college student!

10. Origami

Most people who have tried origami, have probably tossed it after failing to fold a crane. If you’re a tough cookie, you’ll nail even the hardest tasks! P.S. We have a very passionate origami-fan in our Nerdify reviews team too!
Pros

• Unique
• Easy to find tutorials
• Helps focus
• Entertaining
• Very low cost

Cons

• Might be frustrating when it gets too challenging

For a college student, origami is a cool hobby that is cheap and fun, so give it a try!

11. Learn about art

If some of the best places you’ve been to is the art museum, you might consider making learning about art your hobby. You can watch retro movies, learn about the history of fashion, or focus on specific periods in art history.

Pros

• Broadens your horizons
• Free
• Can make for a long-term hobby

Cons

• Isn’t a too relaxing hobby for a busy student

Make learning about what you love about your hobby!

12. Learn a new skill that pays

It’s always great to do what you love for money. You can learn how to do manicure, cut and style hair, do makeup, or carve wood. All these hobbies can help you earn money as a college student.

Pros

• You get to improve your skills
• You can earn from a hobby

Cons

• Requires having good skills, to begin with

Hobbies that pay are among the most popular hobbies for college students!

Whichever hobby you pick, remember that the best one will be the one that you are passionate about. Nerdify reviews team agrees on one thing: pick whatever puts a smile on your face and you’re golden!

And here we go again with most cheesy college topics! Today our favorite rubric Nerdify Reviews will bring some light on co-living issues.

Living with a roommate at college or university can be a lot of fun and an experience that you will miss the most when you graduate, yet things will not always go smoothly and you may encounter several roommate problems. In order to help you survive through the college, we have collected the most common troubles and the ways how to solve them! 

1. Your roommate is way too messy (or way too clean)!

Without a doubt, we all have our personal considerations regarding being clean and messy, which makes it highly likely that your roommate’s opinion may differ from yours. The best way, however, is to make little compromises and discuss the most challenging moments as they come up. When someone acts sloppy and does not seem to care for keeping the place clean, try to see if you can approach the problem on your own and share some tips about keeping the room clean in a light-hearted and fun manner. If this does not work for you and the roommate continues being messy, try to discuss the problem openly and share the responsibilities, so you both share certain tasks that simply have to be done.

Sometimes you may appear to be a little bit messy or your roommate is crazy about keeping the room clean. Well, while it is a good thing to keep everything tidy, it should not go overboard. If you are trapped in such situation, do your best to take some time to throw the dirty laundry into a bin, keep your side of the room tidy, and make little pleasant surprises for your tidy roommate to show that you really care!

2. Your roommate uses your belongings without permission!

Now this problem can be really stressful as it is a privacy intrusion and a trouble that has to be dealt with! Remember that even if the intentions of your college roommate are not always bad and mean, it is still an issue that has to be discussed to make sure that you understand privacy and a list of personal belongings the same way! Living with a roommate is like living with a sibling, so things often get borrowed without a second thought. Still, you have to discuss the boundaries and do your best to build a good relationship. You do not have to lock things up and worry about expensive clothes or your laptop. The key to success is discussing your position and making sure that there are no words left unspoken. Just talk it out and say what is alright to do from time to time and what things will not be tolerated. In case nothing helps and your roommate ignores your requests, ask the college counselor for help.

3. A “Third roommate” college problem!

While bringing in a boyfriend to the college room can be a lot of fun, there are still some rules and restrictions that you have to remember! As you share a relatively small space with your roommate, you can have a guest and it is alright, but it should not be a fun place to hang out all the time. If you have to deal with a roommate who thinks that it is okay to let his or her friends be there all the time, it can easily become a problem!

As always, communication is the key to addressing the problem right and avoiding the conflict. No, you do not really have to tell your friend to kick a friend out immediately, but it is perfectly fine to remind that your room is a shared space where you have to study and have some private space and quiet. If nothing works, try to come to an agreement and make a schedule to agree on the times when both of you are fine with having friends over or when one of you would go home or stay over at friends for the weekend. If you have to get ready for an exam and you just cannot concentrate, make sure to let your roommate know. Try to become the best friends and care for each other as you have fun, but remember that you are the hosts in a little college world, so the guest is a guest and not a new roommate after all!

4. Your roommate has different sleeping habits!

And yes, this is one of the crucial things in co-living, that’s why Nerdify reviews it as well. We all know the feeling when you are up early in the morning and your roommate likes to have some sleep and prefers to stay up late at night to study, listen to music, and basically feel good! As a caring roommate, you do not want to disturb and take the best care of a situation, yet you do not know how to find the right balance between your needs.

Speaking from our experience, the solution is going to the public library or to a student’s cafe if you want to study in peace. If you want to hear some music or talk to a friend, you can easily go to the public area where it is alright to make some noise. Likewise, if you want to get some precious sleep and your roommate has other plans, make sure to speak clearly and explain that there are special study rooms and the common areas a college student can visit to relax and have fun. As you seek a compromise, share your study schedules and see what solutions you may find to let both of you have a good sleep and fun at the end of the day!

5. Your roommate is acting mean!

Even if you have all the schedules and sleep patterns in agreement and take care of each other’s belongings, there are still odd troubles that may come up! Sometimes your problem with a roommate may become an issue for no obvious reason. In most cases, it is enough to talk about the problem and let things cool off without a conflict. Yet, if your relationship with a mean roommate starts to affect you physically and mentally, the best thing to do is turn to a mediator by talking to the college counseling officer. If there is a problem and you cannot get by on your own, seek for professional help! It is perfectly normal to have an unbiased third party individual to help both of you to see where the problem lies without a damage to your life and an academic success!

6. Your roommate is never there!

While there may be several reasons for your roommate’s absence, the fact may become a problem for you. Either you may feel lonely or find yourself in a situation when you need some support, your roommate’s presence in the room is an important point. It may be that your roommate is missing home and tries to be away from the college, yet in the other cases, your roommate may be dealing with a peer pressure or a way too controlling boyfriend that affects her college life. Finally, your roommate may be in trouble, so it is very good to talk to a college counselor if you think that there is a problem that should be reported.

In any case, try to be as careful as you can and make sure that your decision is ethical. Remember that your roommate may just feel embarrassed to talk and not know how to share the same space with a college mate. Be the one to make the first step and trust your heart!

7. Your roommate is always in the room!

Now, this is the opposite of a previous problem, so let us think what can be done! If your college roommate seems to be always there, try to get your friend involved and tell about all the existing college clubs and fun activities. Encourage him or her to do something special and tell of your own responsibilities. If you are a musician or an athlete, share your passion and invite your roommate along!

Of course, it may be that a college room is a special place where your roommate feels safe! Nevertheless, try to make your roommate feel good about college life. Tell about all the nice cafes and the libraries to study at, the parks, and the shops with lots of student deals, so your friend may become interested and leave you in the room on your own (or come along)!

No matter what your roommate problem is, remember that the best way is to talk it out and avoid keeping it all inside! All members of the awesome Nerdify reviews team agree that it always right just to talk to your roommate, be there, stay empathic, respectful, and caring because it will always let you remember college life as a precious experience and time!

Have a good one!